Friday

Sep 14, 2018 at 5:52 PM

We're still facing months of waiting until Stranger Things Season 3 premieres on Netflix, but that doesn't mean you can't spend Halloween immersing yourself in Netflix's spookiest show! And how better to get in the spirit than with the official Universal Studios Stranger Things Halloween Horror Nights Maze?

Constructed by Halloween Horror Nights executive producer John Murdy (with the help of Stranger Things executive producers Matt and Ross Duffer and Shawn Levy) the Stranger Things mazes in Hollywood, Orlando and Singapore take you through the fictional town of Hawkins, including iconic locations like the Byers household, the Hawkins National Laboratory and even the Upside Down. While you're there, be on the lookout for these Stranger Things easter eggs hidden throughout the maze. Some of them will take a sharp eye to catch, while others will... ahem... pop out at you.

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The clocks are set to 11:11. While creating the maze, Netflix reps walked through the nearly finished product and realized that the clocks weren't set on any particular time. They made the cool suggestion that the clocks all be set to 11:11 in honor of the show's most famous character, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

Listen for Will's (Noah Schnapp) message from the Upside Down. Once you're inside the Byers house, you'll be dropped right into the iconic living room scene, complete with Joyce's (Winona Ryder) alphabet wall and Christmas lights. If you pay attention to the lights, you'll notice they'll spell out R-U-N... which is exactly what you should do.

A ton of '80s treats await. Not only did the maze creators match the exact wallpaper and furniture from the series, they also made sure to get even the smallest details right. The newspapers covering the windows of the Byers home are actual headlines from the '80s, and the classroom even has a VHS player.

Keep an eye on the walls. In much the same way that the walls of the Byers home can and do house the hungry Demogorgon, the walls of the maze have monsters lurking inside. Thanks to a creative use of spandex, walls that might seem solid on moment will reach out to grab you the next, just like in the show.

Watch out for Barb (Shannon Purser)! What, you thought you could go through an entire Stranger Things maze without Barb? Sadly, not even the magic of Halloween Horror Nights could save Barb from her gruesome fate, so be prepared to be confronted with your favorite character's seriously gross remains. Just be sure you don't step on her!

Will's desk is a treasure trove of callbacks. In addition to the sketches on Will's desk that are ripped straight out of Season 1, there's also a trophy for Math and Science on there that's a direct replica from the series, and a boombox that's playing "Should I Stay or Should I Go."

Look up inside the Upside Down. The portion of the maze in the Upside Down is a work of art, especially considering it all had to be put together practically when most of it is CGI in the show. If you look up once you're there, you'll notice that strands of fiber optic lights have been wrapped in little bits of cotton and fans have been positioned to make them sway back and forth. This effect is to simulate the spores floating around in the air of the Upside Down.

Check the walls of the classroom! Though the classroom scene at the end of the maze will have an epic showdown taking up most of your attention, be sure to take a minute to appreciate all the class projects that appear on the walls. The Rube Goldberg machine on the right, for instance, is straight out of the Season 1 finale of Stranger Things.

There's a mix of real and fake characters! You'll experience all the characters you love from the show inside the maze, but there's a mix of audio recordings, sculpted figures and maze actors bringing them to life. Joyce, Nancy, Sheriff Hopper, Dr. Brenner and Will all have actors portraying them in the maze, while Eleven, Dustin and Barb are sculpted. As for the Demogorgon, there are 10 of them wandering around, so look out! The entire cast's audio will also be featured in the maze, so keep your ears open for their dialogue!